1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a power supply apparatus for a slide door in a motor vehicle, which is provided with a protector for protecting a wire harness for supplying electric power from a vehicle body to the slide door.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various power supply apparatus for a slide door in a motor vehicle have been proposed. In these power supply apparatus, a door side wire harness which is arranged on the slide door in the motor vehicle is manufactured to have an additional length in view of its movement when the door is opened or closed.
Meanwhile, a conventional power supply apparatus includes a guide rail, a slider, two link arms and a door side wire harness. Specifically, in such a power supply apparatus, the guide rail in a horizontal direction is fixed to the bottom of an inner panel of the slide door. The slider is slidably arranged in a guide hole having a lengthy-hole shape formed in the guide rail. The one end of a first link arm is rotatably coupled with the slider through a shaft portion. The one end of a second link arm is rotatably coupled with the front end of the guide rail though the shaft portion. The other end of the first link arm and the other end of the second link arm are coupled with a rotary shaft. The first link arm and the second link arm are extended upward in an inverted-V shape. A door side wire harness is arranged along these link arms. The door side wire harness expands/contracts by the opening/closing operation of the first link arm and the second link arm attendant on the opening/closing of the slide door. In this case, the overhead of the wire harness extended from the slide door to the vehicle body swings to-and-fro.
However, the power supply apparatus described above has disadvantages that it is complicate in structure, requires a large number of man-hours to assemble the slide door and its assembling operation is troublesome. In addition, it requires a wide space since the guide rail is located over the entire width in a horizontal direction beneath the inner panel, and the first link arm and the second link arm in an inverted-V shape expand/contract. As the case may be, the equipment such as a door pocket and cup holder cannot be provided according to the arrangement of the guide rail. Further, the swinging portion of the wire harness which is extended from the slide door to the vehicle body may interfere with the door trim of the slide door or other portions so that it will be damaged or generate alien sound.
This invention has been accomplished under the above circumstance.
An object of this invention is to provide a power supply apparatus for a slide door in a motor vehicle which is simple in structure, can improve easiness of assembling, can save a space and is free from the fear that a wire harness interferes with other portions when a slide door is opened/closed so that it is damaged or generates alien sound.
In order to attain the above object, in accordance with this invention, there is provided a power supply apparatus for a slide door in a motor vehicle, comprising:
a wire harness arranged to extend from a vehicle body side to a slide door and having a curved segment at its middle portion in a longitudinal direction;
a protecting member which includes a first harness outlet for supporting the wire harness and a second harness outlet which permits the wire harness to shuttle to and fro in a door opening/closing direction according as the slide door opens/closes and houses the curved segment so that it is movable in parallel to the slide door.
In this configuration, since the above power supply apparatus includes a door-side wire harness and a protecting member in which the curved additional segment of the wire harness which is necessary to open or close the door is housed, the configuration can be simplified. This improves easiness of assembling the power supply apparatus. Further, by controlling the moving range of the curved segment for the inner panel, the space occupied by the power supply apparatus in the slide door can be decreased. Further, since the curved segment of the wire harness is protected from external interference, the wire harness is prevented from being damaged when the curved segment expands/contracts while the wire harness swings in the door opening/closing direction.
Preferably, the protecting member comprises:
a first curved wall and a second curved wall which constitute the first harness outlet between their first ends and the second harness outlet between their second ends, and are curved in the same direction to locate the curved segment therebetween;
a guide portion arranged in the second harness outlet in a state extended in the door opening/closing direction; and
a slider which slides along the guide portion while it directly or indirectly holds the wire harness derived from the second harness outlet.
In this configuration, since the protecting member includes the first curved wall, the second curved wall, guide portion and slider, the door side wire harness can be moved smoothly. Further, when the slide door is in the opened or closed state, the curved segment can be pressed on the first curved wall or second curved wall. Thus, in the door closed state, sound or vibration owing to fluttering of the curved segment while the vehicle runs can be reduced. By previously assembling the door side wire harness and protecting member in another manufacturing step, the slide door can be easily assembled.
Preferably, the slider includes a first arm for oscillatably holding the wire harness derived from the second harness outlet in the door opening/closing direction. In this configuration, the door side wire harness can be moved smoothly.
Preferably, the slider includes a second arm for oscillatably holding the curved segment immediately before derived from the second harness outlet in the door opening/closing direction. In this configuration, the door side wire harness can be moved smoothly.
Preferably, the wire harness derived from the second harness outlet having a tube between itself and the slider. In this configuration, since wire harness is directly or indirectly secured to the slider through the tube, it can be protected satisfactorily.
Preferably, the wire harness has an elastic member which is arranged along the curved segment in the vicinity of the first harness outlet and urges the curved segment in a direction leaving from the second harness outlet; and
the protecting member has a limiting wall which limits a location of the curved segment urged by the elastic member.
In this configuration, the power supply apparatus can be further simplified, and hence easily assembled.
Preferably, the protecting member has a securing potion for securing the wire harness inside or outside the first harness outlet. In this configuration, any other particular securing means is not required so that the power supply apparatus can be further simplified, and hence easily assembled.
In a preferred embodiment, the power supply apparatus further comprises:
a bending limiting portion arranged inside the protecting member, the bending limiting portion with which an curved inner face of the wire harness and/or the elastic member is brought into contact, and
the wire harness is communicated with a corrugated tube on its outer periphery.
In this configuration, where the wire harness is pulled forward within the protecting member when the slide door is fully opened, the wire harness or elastic member is curved along the bending limiting portion, and is not further curved. Therefore, the wire harness or elastic member can be prevented from being bent or damaged. Further, since the elastic member is not damaged, the looseness of the wire harness can be always surely absorbed so that the wire harness is prevented from being caught between the slide door and the vehicle body.
Preferably, the power supply apparatus further comprises a harness securing portion arranged on the upper side of the bending limiting portion.
In this configuration, since the wire harness is curved along the bending limiting portion from the harness securing portion on the upper side of the bending limiting portion, the bending length of the wire harness is shortened so that the stress applied on the wire harness can be reduced, thereby surely preventing plastic deformation or damaging of the wire harness. Even where strong pulling force is exerted on the wire harness when the slide door is opened or closed, since the wire harness is secured by the harness securing portion, pulling-in of the wire harness into the protecting member can be prevented so that looseness of the wire harness does not occur.
Preferably, the harness securing portion has a protrusion to be engaged with a groove of the corrugated tube. In this configuration, the wire harness inclusive of the corrugated tube can be surely fixed immovably in the longitudinal direction, and the corrugated tube can be rotated circumferentially so that the corrugated tube can be fixed comfortably.
Preferably, the protecting member includes a flange formed along second harness outlet, and the flange has a curved face with which the wire harness derived from the second harness outlet is brought into contact. In this configuration, the door side wire harness can be moved smoothly on the way of opening/closing the slide door.
Preferably, the protecting member has a slanted contact portion with which the wire harness derived from the second harness outlet is brought into slanting contact when the slide door is opened, the slanted contact being formed at an inner end of the protecting member in a direction of opening the slide door. In this configuration, when the slide door is fully opened, the wire harness is brought into strong contact with the end of the protecting member in the direction of opening the slide door. In this case, since the wire harness is brought into contact with the slanted contact portion not at a right angle but a slanting angle in the longitudinal direction so that shock is relaxed, thereby avoiding occurrence of alien sound.
Preferably, the protecting member has slanted sliding-contact portions by which the wire harness derived from the second harness outlet is guided with no catching when the slide door is opened or closed, the slanted sliding contact portions being formed at both ends of the protecting member in the door opening/closing direction. In this configuration, when the slide door has been fully opened, the wire harness is derived externally from the one end of the protecting member. When the slide door is closed from this state, the wire harness is smoothly guided inside with no catching along the slanted sliding-contact portion. This avoids great abrading sound and damaging of the wire harness, and also prevents the force of closing the slide door from increasing, thus improving the operability of closing. On the other hand, when the slide door has been fully closed, the wire harness is derived externally from the other end of the protecting member. When the slide door is opened from this state, the wire harness is smoothly guided inside with no catching along the slanted sliding-contact portion. Likewise, this avoids great abrading sound and damaging of the wire harness, and also prevent the force of opening the slide door from increasing, thus improving the operability of opening.
Preferably, the protecting member is composed of a protector body and a protector cover which is engaged with the protector body in a state where the curved segment of the wire harness is housed. In this configuration, since the protecting member is composed of the protector body and protector cover, easiness of assembling the protecting member can be improved.
Preferably, the protector body has a securing component which is engaged with the slide door or the vehicle body. In this configuration, since the protector body can be provisionally secured to the slide door in such a manner that the securing component is fit in the slide door, the subsequent assembling can be facilitated.
The above and other objects and features of the invention will be more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.